The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 06 (of 10)
General
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 06 (of 10)
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
[FN#204] The vulgar Eastern idea is that women are quite knowing enough
without learning to read and write; and at all events they should not
be taught anything beyond reading the Koran, or some clearly-written
book. The contrast with modern Europe is great; greater still in
Anglo-America of our day, and greatest with the new sects which propose
“biunes” and “bisexuals” and “women robed with the sun.”
[FN#205] In the Bresl. Edit. the Prince ties a key to a second arrow
and shoots it into the pavilion.
[FN#206] The “box-trick” has often been played with success, by Lord
Byron amongst a host of others. The readiness with which the Wazir
enters into the scheme is characteristic of oriental servility: an
honest Moslem should at least put in a remonstrance.
[FN#207] This story appears familiar, but I have not found it easy to
trace. In “The Book of Sindibad” (p. 83) it is apparently represented
by a lacuna. In the Squire’s Tale of Chaucer Canace’s ring enables the
wearer to understand bird-language, not merely to pretend as does the
slave-boy in the text.
[FN#208] The crow is an ill-omened bird in Al-lslam and in Eastern
Christendom. “The crow of cursed life and foul odour,” says the Book of
Kalilah and Dimna (p. 44). The Hindus are its only protectors, and in
this matter they follow suit with the Guebres. I may note that the word
belongs to the days before “Aryan” and “Semitic” speech had parted; we
find it in Heb. Oreb; Arab. Ghurab; Lat. Corvus; Engl. Crow, etc.
[FN#209] Again in the Hibernian sense of being “kilt.”
[FN#210] Quoted in Night dlxxxii.; said by Kitfír or Itfír (Potiphar)
when his wife (Ráil or Zulaykha) charged Joseph with attempting her
chastity and he saw that the youth’s garment was whole in front and
rent in rear. (Koran, chapt. xii.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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